Writing an Analysis for High School AEC Model

Standards ELACC8RL1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. This will also apply to the majority of your 9th-12th grade common core literary reading and writing standards

Analyzing a Topic Look at your essay topic and figure out what it is asking you to do. Figure out what you want to say about your topic (Assertion) Figure out the evidence you will use to support your topic (Direct quotations and paraphrasing) Figure out how you will divide the information into paragraphs

The House of the Scorpion Prompt In The House of the Scorpion, the theme of prejudice and discrimination based on stereotypes is prevalent throughout the text. Write a well developed, multi paragraph essay showing how the theme develops throughout the story. Use specific details and evidence from the text to support your argument.

What is AEC? AEC is a formula for writing. A lot of high school teachers at RHS love it and suggest it to make literary analysis easier for you. It stands for: Assertion Evidence Commentary

What is Assertion? Assertion is a statement that offers an opinion about a subject or something to prove about a subject. It’s basically like a thesis statement or a controlling idea Set up your sentence like this: Subject + something to prove Subject + opinion

Sample Assertion based on the queen in Snow White Writing Prompt: Describe the queen’s attitude about herself in the fairytale Snow White. An assertion will answer the prompt: In the fairytale Snow White, the queen is vain.

Look back at the Prompt for our Book, and write your own assertion now In The House of the Scorpion, the theme of prejudice and discrimination based on stereotypes is prevalent throughout the text. Write a well developed, multi paragraph essay showing how the theme develops throughout the story. Use specific details and evidence from the text to support your argument.

What is Evidence The evidence offers an example to support your assertion. This evidence or concrete detail, is a specific example from the text that proves the opinion offered by the assertion. Evidence sentences should include: A transition A contextual lead in A concrete detail (Quotation, fact, paraphrasing) (TLC)

Here is an example from Snow White Assertion: In the fairytale Snow White, the queen is vain. Evidence: For example, when the queen wakes up every morning, she looks into her magic mirror, and she says, “Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Find the: Transition Contextual Lead in Concrete Detail/Quotation

Your Evidence for this Essay In The House of the Scorpion, your evidence will be your quotations. You only need to select 3-6 of them for now (1-2 per paragraph), but you may certainly do more if you like! Be sure to introduce each quote with a transition and a contextual lead in.

What is Commentary Commentary explains why the evidence supports the opinion given in the assertion. It explains the thinking behind your example You should have 2 commentary sentences for each example (in general)

Commentary Example for Snow White Topic Sentence: In the fairytale Snow White, the queen is vain. Evidence: For example, when the queen wakes up every morning, she looks into her magic mirror, and she says, “Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Commentary 1: Looking in the mirror daily and praising her own beauty is a self-centered act. Commentary 2: The queen is more concerned about her own appearance than anything else in her life.

In the Scorpion Essay… You will simply use your analysis paragraphs to help you build your commentary sentences.

A Basic Paragraph Generally, a body paragraph in an essay will go like this: Topic Sentence (mini assertion) Evidence Commentary Conclusion/transition Sentence

Fancy Body Paragraph Topic Sentence Lead in/Evidence (Quote) Commentary (Explain the quote) Commentary (Explain the Quote) It just depends on the specific requirements.

In High School, Never Use: I, Me, My You This shows… This proves… The teachers will expect you to use FORMAL register in an analysis piece. This is different from extemporaneous argument/expository where we could use Casual Register.

To earn your grade, you must: Have an intro with A lead in An assertion Have evidence that: Uses 3-6 Quotations (1-2/body paragraph) Has transitions and lead ins Has correct citations Has quotations formatted correctly Have 2 or more pieces of commentary for each quotation Have a conclusion Have correct punctuation Have correct capitalization Have correct usage